"Gimme Shelter" is a 2011 single by the American rock band Puddle of Mudd, and a cover of the 1969 song of the same name by The Rolling Stones.[1] The song was released digitally on August 2, 2011 as the lead single for the band's 2011 album Re:(disc)overed, a collection of cover versions of classic rock songs from the 1960s and 1970s. "Gimme Shelter" peaked at the number 20 position on Billboard'sHeritage Rock chart and number 26 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. The single marks the band's first new release since being dropped from Geffen, and their first with Arms Division.[2] It also marked the last single to feature lead guitarist Paul Phillips and bassist Doug Ardito before their departure from the band, respectively in November 2011 and July 2014.[3][4]
Following the end of the touring cycle for their 2009 album Volume 4: Songs in the Key of Love & Hate, the band entered Bomb Shelter Studios in Los Angeles in March 2011 to begin working on new music for their next album.[5] According to guitarist Paul Phillips, the band originally intended to write new material but initial attempts to write new original material stalled due to burnout from years of constant touring and recording.[6] Frustrated with the lack of enthusiasm in the new songs, the band decided to pivot to recording cover songs for a full-length studio album.[7] The band spent three consecutive weeks in the studio with producer Bill Appleberry, fully completing the album by early April, in which time "Gimme Shelter" was recorded.[8]
In various interviews, Scantlin and Philips stated they compiled a huge list of around 30 songs from the 1970s-80s, which they narrowed down to 14 tracks for the final cut.[9] Phillips explained the first idea for the band to release a potential cover album first evolved naturally after the group began performing songs like AC/DC's “T.N.T.” and "The Joker" by the Steve Miller Band during their live shows just for fun, which he stated that fans seemed to enjoy.[10][11]
During the recording of ‘Gimme Shelter’, the group recruited additional musicians to contribute to the song; most notably, BC Jean and various other uncredited female backing vocalists were brought in to recreate the haunting vocal parts made famous by Merry Clayton on the original Rolling Stones track.[12] In interviews after the single's release, the band revealed that the recording sessions were deliberately approached with a live, organic methodology with very few takes to capture a raw and unpolished energy, aiming to minimize the use of Pro Tools.[13]
Release
"Gimme Shelter" was released as the lead single from Re:(disc)overed on August 2, 2011, and made available digitally on iTunes and Amazon Music with an official music video premiering on the Puddle of Mudd YouTube channel on September 17, 2011.[14] In order to promote the single and the album, on October 7, 2011, the group performed the song live on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and announced a fall tour.[15]
Critical reception
Critical reception to the song was mixed.[16]Loudwire praised the band's energy and praised the addition of “bluesy female vocal harmonies” and a “dose of attitude”.[17] Anne Erickson of Ultimate Classic Rock called the track a “shining example” of the band's reverence for classic rock, praising its “authenticity” and “youthful hard rock edge.”[18]
Other critics were less favorable, Stephen Thomas Erlewine from Allmusic noted that while the band executed faithful renditions of classic tracks, their approach to “Gimme Shelter” felt overly literal and lacked reinterpretation.[19] Audio Eclectica listed the cover among its “Worst Cover Songs,” citing Scantlin's vocal delivery as “grating."[20]
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
